If you are a software provider and you are interested in building a connection with One Click LCA API for automated BOM import and/or result export, contact sales@oneclicklca.com. This can be enabled only for selected partners. Please note that the data requirements that are mentioned in this article are mandatory in all cases.
This article is relevant for:
- Software providers that want to create an Excel export that can be easily read by One Click LCA
- Users who already have an Excel file with data and want to import it to One Click LCA without using the available One Click LCA templates.
Publicly available Excel templates provided by One Click LCA
If you wish to use a readily available Excel file and fill in your data there, you can download our templates and follow the guidance from: Excel Import Templates
Other relevant background articles include:
Available solutions for importing custom Excel files to Building and Infrastructure tools:
Option 1 – Let the new file upload service take you through the necessary steps
One Click LCA is launching a new file upload service that allows users to easily match imported data from any Excel file to One Click LCA in an intuitive way. If you have access to this feature, it can be easily used to import any file and adjust imported data on the fly in the online interface. During the import, One Click LCA will request you to map inserted data to relevant One Click LCA fields, eligible units etc.
Option 2 – Adjust the Excel (.xlsx) file in advance for easier import.
This can be especially relevant for software providers that want to create a custom Excel export that is already optimized for import into One Click LCA.
Supported incoming file formats are Excel 1997-2003, present-day Excel (XSLX) and also gbXML (not recommended).
The Excel files need to have as a minimum the following columns (no duplicates) for Building / Infrastructure tools. Column names need to be identical.
| Column headings | Column content |
| CLASS (mandatory) | Relevant building parts with a fixed set of eligible values that can be taken from the attached templates. If such data are not available, fill in OTHER. |
| MATERIAL or IFCMATERIAL (mandatory) |
Distinguishable informative material names will be used to map the material to the environmental profiles in the tool.
|
| QUANTITY (mandatory) | Quantity of the material, excluding site waste. It should match the unit that is specified in the next column. |
| QTY_TYPE (mandatory) | Metric: M M2 M3 KG UNIT Imperial: LBS FT SQ FT CU FT CU YD |
| THICKNESS_MM (recommended) | Thickness in millimetres |
| THICKNESS_IN (recommended) | Thickness in inches |
If you wish to import additional data for each material, such as transportation distance, site wastage or more, see the format of the relevant fields in the attached templates, but please mind these are generic column definitions which might not be compatible with all tools. If one is interested in a specific tool, it is recommended to test importing an Excel file with relevant data to the desired tool. For support, please contact our Customer Success team.
If you wish to have column headings in different languages please see available options in our Classic Import Process in One Click LCA article.
Data management and quantity/unit recommendations
Split objects to materials or allow the user to select
It is recommended to split composite objects into individual material layers when available, as there is more environmental data for individual materials, and it also allows users to do more accurate assessments. It can be useful for users though to export in a separate column in Excel and also the parent object name as it could be useful information in later stages.
For BIM software, it could be useful for users to be able to select if the objects are split into materials or not, as the detailing of the objects in early design stages can be inaccurate.
Material naming:
Material name is used to map the imported row to an available environmental profile from the One Click LCA database. The name should help the user understand what is this material (eg concrete, insulation etc) and what differentiates it from other similar materials (eg concrete strength, recycled content, u-value etc).
One Click LCA tries to assign mappings automatically, and then users can edit the suggested ones and assign mappings manually to the unidentified data.
Examples of recommended names:
- Hollow-core slab, C30/37
- Glass façade, U-value 0,22, Insulation Manufacturing Company 1
- Drywall, acoustic insulation
Quantity-related recommendations:
- Use net quantities (exclude voids for volume, and openings for area)
- For area, use the face area of vertical elements, and the bottom/top area of horizontal elements. If the area is different on the 2 sides of the object, use the average one.
- When elements have varying thicknesses, use the average one, or include none.
Default unit recommendations:
This can help users find matching environmental profiles more easily and increases the chances for users to get automatic mapping assignments during the import process. Additionally, it helps avoid a few quantity-related mistakes that might occur if users export data from BIM models.
- Default: It is recommended to use net volume or mass as a default
- Doors and windows: Area or number of items
- Devices and furniture: Number of items
- Wall and floor finishes: Area as a priority, or the volume
- Insulation: Area as a priority, or the volume
Combine data
It is recommended to combine in advance rows with identical information (material name, class, thickness, quantity type etc) and update quantities accordingly. This is optional, as users can do this also during the import process.
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